Hand-Held Power Tool with a Rod-Shaoed Grip

ABSTRACT

A hand-held power tool, in particular a barrel jigsaw, having a barrel grip ( 10 ). 
     The hand-held power tool has a detachable top handle ( 12 ) and a fastening device ( 14 ) for attaching the top handle ( 12 ).

PRIOR ART

The invention is based on a hand-held power tool with a barrel gripaccording to the preamble of claim 1.

A hand-held power tool with a barrel grip embodied in the form of abarrel jigsaw is already known. The barrel jigsaw has an L-shapedhousing with a shorter leg extending essentially parallel to areciprocating motion of a saw blade and a longer leg extendingperpendicular to the shorter leg, in the working direction. The longerleg constituting the barrel grip is essentially rod-shaped, with a roundcross-sectional area, and encloses an electric motor. The barrel griphas a diameter designed to permit an average-sized user from apreselected target group to grasp the barrel grip at least to a largeextent with one hand and to advantageously be able to guide the barreljigsaw by means of the barrel grip.

The shorter leg of the housing extends away from a free end of the sawblade and is embodied in the form of a grasping knob at its free end.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on a hand-held power tool, in particular, abarrel grip jigsaw.

According to the invention, the hand-held power tool is provided with aremovable top handle and a fastening device for attaching the tophandle, in particular to at least one housing of the hand-held powertool. In this connection, the term “removable top handle” is understoodin particular to mean a handle that extends at least partially along ahousing and which is in particular provided so that it can be removedfrom a housing of the hand-held power tool. The term “provided” isunderstood in particular to mean “equipped” and/or “designed”. The term“barrel grip” is in particular understood to mean a grip that isadvantageously aligned in the working direction and preferably at leastpartially encloses a drive unit of the hand-held power tool and which,in particular, is preferably provided for a user of average size to beable to grasp at least most of the way around, i.e. to grasp around morethan 50% of it.

The embodiment according to the invention permits the hand-held powertool to be adapted in a particularly flexible fashion to differentrequirements and makes it possible to increase the convenience of thehand-held power tool.

The top handle can be attached to a housing of the hand-held power toolby means of various fastening devices deemed useful to those skilled inthe art, in particular frictionally engaging and/or form-locking ones,but it is particularly advantageous for this attachment to be producedby a fastening device provided for tool-less attachment and detachmentof the top handle to and from a housing of the hand-held power tool.This permits a particularly quick and convenient adaptation of thehand-held power tool.

In addition, the convenience can be increased if an on-off switch of thehand-held power tool is at least partially integrated into the tophandle and in particular if the top handle is provided with a lockingmechanism for locking the on-off switch, in particular for locking it inthe on position.

In another embodiment of a hand-held power tool with a handle and anon-off switch at least partially integrated into the handle and inparticular with a locking mechanism for locking the on-off switch, thelocking mechanism has at least two at least largely decoupled actuatingelements. In this context, the term “decoupled actuating elements” isunderstood to mean elements to be actuated in particular directly by auser, such as control buttons, rocker buttons, sliders, etc., that arecomprised of separate components and/or are at least largely decoupledwith regard to their freedom of movement so that in particular, oneactuating element can be moved without causing the other actuatingelement to move.

The embodiment according to the invention can, through structurallysimple means, achieve an advantageous, at least largely symmetricaldesign of the hand-held power tool, with either a locking or anon-locking on-off switch, and can, at least to a large degree, fulfillthe same requirements for both left-handers and right-handers.

If the actuating elements are situated on opposite sides of the tophandle, then they can be conveniently embodied for both left-handers andright-handers and can in particular be situated in convenientlyaccessible regions.

If the fastening device is at least in part integrally joined to afunctional component of the on-off switch at least partially integratedinto the top handle and/or if the on-off switch at least partiallyintegrated into the top handle is at least in part integrally joined toan on-off switch at least partially integrated into the barrel grip,then this achieves savings with regard to additional components,assembly complexity, space, weight, and cost.

If a holding mechanism of the fastening device is integrally joined toan actuator rod guide, then only a few components are required toachieve a particularly advantageous guidance of an actuator rod and ajamming of the actuator rod can be prevented in a structurally simplemanner, particularly in a transition region from the top handle into thebarrel grip and particularly if the holding mechanism is comprised of alocking pin. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the locking pinis hollow and the actuator rod is guided inside the locking pin.

In an additional embodiment of the invention, the top handle is providedto constitute a support surface for the back of a hand, i.e. constitutesa specially adapted open reach-through region between the housing andthe top handle and/or has a specially embodied form so that when guidingthe hand-held power tool by means of the barrel grip, the back of theuser's hand is or can be additionally supported against the top handle.A corresponding embodiment can achieve a convenient operation of thehand-held power tool with a low exertion of holding force and with aparticularly reliable connection between the user and the hand-heldpower tool.

In order to reliably provide various users with an advantageous distancebetween the top handle and the housing and to provide an advantageous,open reach-through region between the top handle and the housing, theopen reach-through region can be embodied as adjustable, for example inthat the position of the top handle is adjustable and/or supported sothat it can move and/or in that additional components are provided to beattached to the top handle and/or to the housing.

If the support surface is comprised of a soft elastic component, e.g. inparticular a component made of rubber or a rubber-like material, then anopen reach-through region can be achieved that automatically adapts to auser and an elastic clamping force of the component can further increasethe reliability of the connection between the user and the hand-heldpower tool.

The embodiment according to the invention can be used in varioushand-held power tools deemed appropriate by those skilled in the art,e.g. in angle grinders, scrapers, hedge trimmers, planers, etc., but canbe used to particular advantage in barrel jigsaws, in which, dependingon the intended use, different possible holding attitudes areparticularly advantageous. For example, when working on a hip high,horizontally aligned tabletop from above and watching the cuttingprogress from above, it is preferable to guide a barrel jigsaw by meansof its top handle, whereas when working on a hip high, horizontallyaligned tabletop from below and watching the cutting progress fromabove, it is preferable to guide a barrel jigsaw by means of a barrelgrip. The top handle here is preferably adapted to an L-shaped housingdesign, which permits the embodiment according to the invention to beused with little adaptation cost, particularly in saws and planers.

DRAWINGS

Other advantages ensue from the following description of the drawings.An exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings. Thedrawings, specification, and claims contain numerous definingcharacteristics in combination. Those skilled in the art will alsosuitably consider the defining characteristics individually and unitethem in other meaningful combinations.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hand-held power tool according to theinvention, embodied in the form of barrel jigsaw,

FIG. 2 shows the hand-held power tool from FIG. 1, just beforeinstallation of a top handle,

FIG. 3 shows the hand-held power tool, right during installation of thetop handle,

FIG. 4 shows the top handle from above,

FIG. 5 shows a detail of a longitudinal section through the hand-heldpower tool from FIG. 1, with the top handle installed,

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged detail labeled VI in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged detail of the top handle, labeled VII in FIG.5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a hand-held power tool according to the invention, embodiedin the form of a barrel jigsaw, with a barrel grip 10. The hand-heldpower tool has an essentially L-shaped housing 16, a shorter leg 36extending essentially parallel to a reciprocating motion of a saw blade38 and a longer leg 40 extending perpendicular to the shorter leg 36,parallel to a working direction 42. The longer leg 40 constituting thebarrel grip 10 is essentially rod-shaped, with a round cross-sectionalarea, and encloses an electric motor, not shown in detail. The barrelgrip 10 has a diameter designed to permit an average-sized user to graspat least most of the way around the barrel grip 10 with one hand and toadvantageously be able to guide the hand-held power tool by means of thebarrel grip 10.

The shorter leg 36 of the housing 16 extends in the direction away froma free end 44 of the saw blade and is embodied in the form of a graspingknob at its free end.

In addition to the barrel grip 10, the hand-held power tool has aremovable top handle 12 and a fastening device 14 for attaching the tophandle 12 to the housing 16 (FIGS. 1 through 7). The top handle 12extends from a free end of the longer leg 40, i.e. the barrel grip 10,to a free end of the shorter leg 36, is embodied in the form of an arc,and has an oval cross-sectional area and contact surfaces adapted to theform of the housing 16 at the free ends of the legs 36, 40.

The fastening device 14 is provided for tool-free attachment anddetachment of the top handle 12 to and from the housing 16. Thefastening device 14 has a fixed metal tab 46 at a first end of the tophandle 12, provided for attachment to the shorter leg 36 of the housing16, and has a slot-shaped recess 48 situated in the housing 16 at thefree end of the shorter leg 36 and correspondingly adapted to the metaltab 46 (FIGS. 6 and 7). In addition, the fastening device 14, at asecond end of the top handle 12 provided for attachment to the longerleg 40, has a detent mechanism 50 with a locking pin 26 supported sothat it can move in opposition to a helical compression spring 52 (FIGS.5 and 6). The locking pin 26 is coupled via a set of teeth 54, which areformed onto it, and a gear 56 to a toothed rod 58 formed onto anactuating button 60. A U-shaped retaining tab 62 of the fastening device14 is attached to the second end of the top handle 12. To cooperate withthe locking pin 26, an opening 64 is let into the top side of the barrelgrip 10 in the end region of its longer leg 40. To cooperate with theU-shaped retaining tab 62, the free end of the longer leg 40, i.e. ofthe barrel grip 10, has a receiving region 66 into which one leg 116 ofthe U-shaped retaining tab 62 can be guided under a rib, not shown indetail, of the housing 16. The receiving region 66 is covered by meansof a pivotable closing flap 114, which pivots into its open positionupon insertion of the leg 116 of the U-shaped retaining tab 62.

To install the top handle 12, first, the metal tab 46 pointing in theworking direction 42 is inserted into the recess 48 of the shorter leg36 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Then, while exerting a force in the direction 70toward the barrel grip 10, the top handle 12 is slid in the direction 72of the shorter leg 36. In the course of this, the leg 116 of theU-shaped retaining tab 62 is guided into the receiving region 66, underthe rib of the housing 16 and the locking pin 26 comes into contact withthe longer leg 40, i.e. the barrel grip 10, and is deflected in adirection 68 oriented away from the longer leg 40, counter to a springforce of the helical compression spring 52. With a continued movement ofthe top handle 12 in the direction 72, the locking pin 26 is moved intoa position over the opening 64 in the longer leg 40, i.e. the barrelgrip 10, and, driven by the helical compression spring 52, engages indetent fashion in the opening 64, thus affixing the top handle 12 to thehousing 16 in a definite position. In the mounted state, the top handle12 encompasses part of the free end of the shorter leg 36 and part ofthe free end of the longer leg 40.

To detach the top handle 12, the actuating button 60 is pressed and thelocking pin 26 is moved in the direction 68 oriented away from thebarrel grip 10 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Then, the top handle 12 can be withdrawnin a direction 74 oriented away from the shorter leg 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

Part of an on-off switch 18 is integrated into the top handle 12, namelyan actuating button 76 supported in mobile fashion at the end of the tophandle 12 oriented toward the shorter leg 36 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Theactuating button 76 is coupled to an end of a rocker switch 78 of theon-off switch 18, which rocker switch 78 extends in the longitudinaldirection through the top handle 12 and is supported in pivoting fashionat a bearing point 80 situated approximately in the middle of the tophandle 12 in its longitudinal direction. A second end of the rockerswitch 78 is coupled to an actuator rod 82 of the on-off switch 18. Thelocking pin 26 of the fastening device 14 has an actuator rod guideintegrated into it; the actuator rod 82 is in fact guided inside thehollow, tubular locking pin 26.

With the top handle 12 installed, if a user pushes the actuating button76, then the end of the rocker switch 78 oriented toward the actuatingbutton 76 is deflected away from the barrel grip 10 and its end orientedaway from the actuating button 76 is deflected toward the barrel grip10. The actuator rod 82 is slid through the locking pin 26 and, via apivoting flap 112, acts on an electrical switch 86. The pivoting flap112 is supported on a rocker switch 84 of an on-off switch 28 integratedinto the barrel grip 10 and can pivot around a bearing axis oriented inthe longitudinal direction of the barrel grip 10. With the top handle 12installed, the rocker switch 84 itself is locked in position by the leg116 of the U-shaped retaining tab 62 that is inserted into the receivingregion 66, preventing an activation and/or deactivation of the hand-heldpower tool by an actuation slider 88 situated on the barrel grip 10.When the top handle 12 is not installed, the flap 112 prevents an openpassage from an outside region from extending into the region of theelectrical switch 86 and thus prevents the penetration of dirt.

Both the on-off switch 18 partially integrated into the top handle 12and the on-off switch 28 integrated into the barrel grip 10 are embodiedas integrally joined to the electrical switch 86 so that both the on-offswitch 18 of the top handle 12 and the on-off switch 28 of the barrelgrip 10 can be used to activate and deactivate the hand-held power toolby means of the electrical switch 86.

On an end of the barrel grip 10 oriented toward the shorter leg 36, theon-off switch 28 integrated into the barrel grip 10 has the actuatingslider 88, which is coupled to a connecting rod 90 that extends in thelongitudinal direction inside the barrel grip 10 and is supported sothat it can moved in this longitudinal direction (FIG. 1). The end ofthe connecting rod 90 oriented away from the actuating slider 88 iscoupled to the rocker switch 84, and a bolt, not shown in detail,fastened to the connecting rod 90 reaches through an oblong hole 92 inthe rocker switch 84. The rocker switch 84 is supported in pivotingfashion at a bearing point 94 situated between the electrical switch 86and the coupling point with the connecting rod 90 in the longitudinaldirection of the barrel grip 10 (FIGS. 1, 5, and 6).

If a user moves the actuating slider 88 toward the shorter leg 36 of thehousing 16, then the end of the rocker switch 84 oriented toward theconnecting rod 90 is deflected toward a top side of the barrel grip 10and its end oriented away from the connecting rod 90 is deflected awayfrom the top side of the barrel grip 10, thus acting on the electricalswitch 86. When the top handle 12 is not installed and the hand-heldpower tool is deactivated, the rocker switch 84 and the flap 112supported on the rocker switch 84 close the opening 64, which isprovided to permit the actuator rod 82 of the on-off switch 18 of thetop handle 12 to pass through it in order to actuate the electricalswitch 86 when the top handle 12 is installed.

A locking mechanism 20 for locking the on-off switch 18 is alsointegrated into the top handle 12. The locking mechanism 20 has twodecoupled actuating elements 22, 24 comprised of separate componentsthat are situated on opposite sides or side surfaces of the top handle12 (FIG. 4). On their sides facing into the interior of the top handle12, each of the actuating elements 22, 24 has a respective pin 98, 100,each of which can be pushed independently of each other, counter to thespring forces of leaf springs 102, 104 acting on the actuating elements22, 24 and, when the actuating button 76 is in its on position, can beinserted into a through opening 96 of the actuating button 76 to lockthe latter in an on position.

If a user releases an actuating force for depressing the actuatingbutton 76 before an actuating force for depressing one of the actuatingelements 22, then the pin 98 or 100 of the depressed actuating element22 or 24 is clamped in the through opening 96 because a spring returnforce of a helical compression spring 106 loads the actuating button 76toward its off position and the pin 98 or 100 is subjected to a shearingaction and clamped in position between an outer wall of the top handle12 and the actuating button 76.

If after being locked in position, the actuating button 76 is once againsubjected to an actuating force toward its on position, then the springforce of the leaf spring 102 or 104 deflects the actuating element 22 or24, which has been actuated to engage the locking mechanism, backoutward into its starting position and the locking mechanism isdisengaged.

According to the present invention, the top handle 12 can also beprovided to constitute a support surface 30 for the back of a hand. Thetop handle 12 in this case advantageously constitutes a speciallyadapted open reach-through region 108 between the housing 16 and the tophandle 12 itself so that when the hand-held power tool is guided bymeans of the barrel grip 10, the back of a user's hand is also supportedagainst the top handle 12. A distance 110 between the support surface 30of the top handle 12, which is oriented toward the barrel grip 10 in amiddle region in the longitudinal direction of the top handle 12, and atop side of the barrel grip 10 situated directly opposite the supportsurface 30 in this region would be advantageously designed with regardto a hand thickness of a target user group and preferably would be lessthan 12 cm and particularly preferably, less than 10 cm.

To achieve a reach-through region 108 that can be easily adapted to auser at least within limits, to assure a connection between the back ofthe user's hand and a support surface 32 of the top handle 12 by meansof an elastic clamping force, and to increase comfort, the supportsurface 32 can also be constituted by a soft elastic component 34, asdepicted in FIGS. 1 and 5. The component 34 can be detachably ornon-detachably attached to the top handle 12 by means of variousfrictionally engaging, form-locking, and/or integrally joinedconnections deemed suitable by those skilled in the art.

If the top handle 12 is used to constitute a support surface 30 or 32for the back of a hand, then it should be advantageously possible toactivate and deactivate the hand-held power tool by means of the on-offswitch 28 integrated into the barrel grip 10. This could possibly beachieved by omitting a locking of the rocker switch 84 by means of theU-shaped retaining tab 62.

1. A hand-held power tool, in particular a barrel jigsaw, having abarrel grip (10), characterized by means of a detachable top handle (12)and an attaching device (14) for attaching the top handle (12).
 2. Thehand-held power tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the fastening device(14) is provided for tool-free attachment and/or detachment of the tophandle (12).
 3. The hand-held power tool as recited in claim 1, whereinan on-off switch (18) is at least partially integrated into the tophandle (12).
 4. The hand-held power tool as recited in claim 3, whereina locking mechanism (20) for locking the on-off switch (18) isintegrated into the top handle (12).
 5. A hand-held power tool having ahandle (12) and an on-off switch (18) at least partially integrated intothe handle (12) and having a locking mechanism (20) for locking theon-off switch (18), in particular as recited in claim 4, wherein thelocking mechanism (20) has at least two at least largely decoupledactuating elements (22, 24).
 6. The hand-held power tool as recited inclaim 5, wherein the actuating elements (22, 24) are situated onopposite sides of the top handle (12).
 7. The hand-held power tool asrecited in claim 3, wherein the fastening device (14) is at leastpartially integrally joined to a functional component of the on-offswitch (18).
 8. The hand-held power tool as recited in claim 7, whereina holding mechanism of the fastening device (14) is integrally joined toan actuator rod guide.
 9. The hand-held power tool as recited in claim8, wherein the holding mechanism is comprised of a locking pin (26). 10.The hand-held power tool at least as recited in claim 3, wherein theon-off switch (18) at least partially integrated into the top handle(12) is at least in part integrally joined to an on-off switch (28) atleast partially integrated into the barrel grip (10).
 11. The hand-heldpower tool as recited in claim 1, wherein the top handle (12) isprovided to constitute a support surface (30, 32) for the back of ahand.
 12. The hand-held power tool as recited in claim 11, wherein thesupport surface (32) is comprised of a soft elastic component (34). 13.A top handle (12) for a hand-held power tool as recited in claim 1.